On January 30th 2018, the deputy Minister Plenipotentiary, H.E. mr. Hasani Ellis, was one of the guests of honor at the French Embassy where a reception was held at the residence of the French Ambassador in The Netherlands. During this reception the deputy Minister Plenipotentiary co- signed a declaration acknowledging the handing over of documents for the Status of Forces Agreement between the French Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, for St Maarten.
With the exchange of signatures, the agreement formalizes and regulates the presence of French military forces on the Dutch part of St Maarten in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The agreement further regulates the use of the airport, the territorial waters and the airspace of Dutch St Maarten by French militaries and other designated French entities. It also includes an obligation for the French to respect St Maarten’s laws and regulations when on the Dutch part of the island with the obligation to be escorted by the Dutch police.
The presence of the Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary, was well received by the French Ambassador, who in his address emphasized the shared history and future interests between the French Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in general and on Sint Maarten in particular.